During Chapter 6, Woolf describes a scene in which Jacob and Timmy are walking arm in arm after going to a dance. When they are walking, they decide to talk about something more significant, so they talk about the Greeks. I may be overanalying something here, but to me it seems like this is a reference to homosexuality. The Greeks were the first ones to be openly gay (at least I think so... Heid knows more about Greeks than I do), so the fact that the first topic that comes to mind is Greek life, it may be hinting at something. Is Jacob gay? What about Timmy?
Another thing to consider -- do we believe Jacob's reason as to why he doesn't take advantage of Florinda? Instead of not liking her stupidity, what if he is just not attracted to women? I would like to believe that Jacob is straight, but I think the evidence is pointing the opposite way. Ideas? Suggestions?- kkr-c Jan 16, 2008
See page 70. Neither Timmy nor Jacob. Try Bonamy.- brtom Jan 17, 2008
Well, thanks for the commendation, Katie. Yes, the Greeks did not dissapprove of homosexuality. As for them being the first civilization to do so, we will never know. But as Br. Tom says, page 70 definitely proves that Jacob is not gay, for he has intercourse with Florinda. Thus, there is no doubt that Jacob is a man of low moral standards, if any. Furthermore, I do not think that speaking as or speaking of Greeks indicates the homosexual orientation, at least, not in this book. Jacob, as page 70 shows, is clearly not gay, and he speaks Greek. And, for what its worth, I'm majoring in Greek andLatin in college, and I KNOW I'm not gay.- JHe-c Jan 20, 2008
An aside not requiring response: And once upon a time it was actually possible for two young men to walk arm in arm down the street of a big city and not be (or be perceived as) gay. What has happened? It's not really "overanalysis", KKr, you are just the victim of something that's been happening in the culture for some time now - something that makes it almost impossible not to "misread" this kind of text from an earlier period and place.- brtom Jan 21, 2008
Another thing to consider -- do we believe Jacob's reason as to why he doesn't take advantage of Florinda? Instead of not liking her stupidity, what if he is just not attracted to women? I would like to believe that Jacob is straight, but I think the evidence is pointing the opposite way. Ideas? Suggestions?-
See page 70. Neither Timmy nor Jacob. Try Bonamy.-
Well, thanks for the commendation, Katie. Yes, the Greeks did not dissapprove of homosexuality. As for them being the first civilization to do so, we will never know. But as Br. Tom says, page 70 definitely proves that Jacob is not gay, for he has intercourse with Florinda. Thus, there is no doubt that Jacob is a man of low moral standards, if any. Furthermore, I do not think that speaking as or speaking of Greeks indicates the homosexual orientation, at least, not in this book. Jacob, as page 70 shows, is clearly not gay, and he speaks Greek. And, for what its worth, I'm majoring in Greek andLatin in college, and I KNOW I'm not gay.-
An aside not requiring response: And once upon a time it was actually possible for two young men to walk arm in arm down the street of a big city and not be (or be perceived as) gay. What has happened? It's not really "overanalysis", KKr, you are just the victim of something that's been happening in the culture for some time now - something that makes it almost impossible not to "misread" this kind of text from an earlier period and place.-